Seventh seed Casper Ruud kept alive his hopes of reaching another French Open final by edging out unseeded Spaniard Alejandro Davidovich Fokina 7-6(5) 1-6 6-3 4-6 6-3 in a testing second-round clash on Thursday.

After his last two trips to Roland Garros ended in losses to Rafa Nadal and Novak Djokovic in the final, the 25-year-old Norwegian looked well primed to break his Grand Slam duck at the claycourt major by winning titles on the surface in Barcelona and Geneva.

ALSO READ | French Open 2024: Organisers vow stricter measures after players complain of unruly fans

But that wining form seemed to go missing slightly against a tricky opponent in the 24-year-old Davidovich Fokina, who stayed within touching distance in a high-octane contest, before Ruud stepped up his game to go through.

Ruud won a tight opening set in a tie break and wobbled in the second before getting back on track in the next, seeking to avenge his third-round defeat by the same opponent on the red dirt of Paris three years ago.

Just as he was dragged to five sets in that match, Ruud found himself in a dogfight as the relentless Davidovich Fokina levelled up the contest, but he sealed a crucial break to surge ahead 3-2 in the decider and held his nerve from there to win.

You can now write for Baazigarnews.com and be a part of the Baazigar family. Share your stories and opinions with us here.